Four years ago, six people died after overdosing on fentanyl. Last year, that number hit 120, and as of June, fatalities exceed 50.

As the drug, a synthetic opioid up to 100 times more powerful than morphine, gains popularity, the provincial government and outreach societies are fighting overdoses by giving injectable antidotes directly to addicts.

A one-year, $300,000 grant from Alberta Health will provide kits containing two vials of naloxone to the agencies, who will then train and distribute addicts how to administer the medication. The kits also include two syringes, alcohol swabs, a one-way CPR mask, a pair of gloves and instructions.

Before the kits are distributed, frequent users, either in private or with a group of frequent users, will be taught how and when to use the kits.

So far, 100 kits have been ordered to serve Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie. In Fort McMurray, the kits will be distributed by the HIV North Society.

“We are not expecting a huge flood right away, but we’re expecting it will take place,” said Susan Belcourt-Rothe, executive director of the group.

In June, 2,908 fentanyl pills were among the spoils the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team seized during several raids across the city. Last year, 29 people in northern Alberta died from overdoses where fentanyl was a contributing factor. An Alberta Health spokesperson says 2015 numbers are not yet available.

“What we have seen is there is significant drug usage in Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie,” said Belcourt-Rothe. “We see quite a high income and a transient population. Given this combination, we felt it was better to address the situation in the communities.”

Like most synthetic opiates, fentanyl is designed to act as a painkiller. When the narcotic enters the brain, it latches to the body’s opioid receptors in the brain.

Many receptors activate the brain’s reward system, handling the pleasurable feelings associated with acts such as sex or eating. This triggers a flood of euphoria to crash throughout the body. Others numb the body from physical pain.

But when activated, some receptors tell the brain’s neurons to slow parts of the body down. Drowsiness, confusion and nausea are common. Slowing down breathing is also common. Take too much, and the neurons will slow the body’s breathing rate to dangerously low levels. The body then falls unconscious and stops breathing. Death quickly follows.

Naloxone is designed to stop it from going that far. When a victim begins suffering from an overdose, naloxone is injected into the bloodstream and quickly blocks the receptors. Within minutes, the victim’s consciousness and breathing is restored. Belcourt-Rothe says a fast individual can retain enough coordination to self-inject the naloxone during the early onset of an overdose.

However, naloxone only works against opiates. In many fentanyl overdoses, Dr. Michael Trew, Alberta’s chief addiction and mental health officer, says other drugs, such as alcohol or certain sleeping pill brands, have been found in the victim and played a role in the overdose. Naloxone is powerless against those drugs.

While the kits give victims a chance to be spared death, Trew says Alberta Health Services is starting an education program this month, targeting habitual and casual users.

“This is growing way too fast, and it has become very scary,” he said.